Welding can be a very dangerous task, even for professionals, with a multitude of hazards that need to be avoided. The intense heat and light of a welding arc can cause damage to the eyes or limbs and set fire to clothing. Because of these dangers, welding is typically not something an untrained person should attempt at home; rather than attempting to save a few bucks by performing a dangerous and skilled task, it’s almost always a better bet to simply hire a professional mobile welding company to do any welding work for you.
However, professionals and laymen alike should take extreme precautions when attempting to perform welding work. While do-it-yourself welding work is not advised, prospective and professional welders should take care to maintain proper safety procedures when welding. Here are three safety tips to keep in mind whenever you’re doing welding work.
Wear Appropriate Safety Equipment and Clothing
When performing welding tasks, it’s incredibly important that you use the appropriate safety equipment. This includes flame-resistant clothing such as denim pants and a welding jacket, as well as an exhaust hood to remove toxic fumes and an auto-darkening helmet or welding hood to protect your eyes from the light of the welding arc, which can cause blindness or pain.
You should also take care to wear appropriate footwear, such as high-top leather boots. Tennis or cloth shoes should be avoided as blots of molten metal from the welding process will burn through them, and sometimes into your foot as well. It’s also important that you wear long-sleeved clothing and full-length pants, as exposed skin may be burned or damaged by the ultraviolet and infrared rays produced when welding, or by sparks of metal. Open pockets and cuffs can catch sparks as well.
Avoid Repetitive Motions
You should also try to avoid repetitive motions when welding, such as snapping your head back and forth to drop a welding hood down, or placing stress on your wrist by consistently moving it back and forth in an unnatural position. Repetitive motions can place stress on the body’s joints, resulting in pain and long-term health risks down the line. These injuries can be avoided by taking regular breaks and by investing in specialized material, such as an auto-darkening helmet, to prevent the need to close and open a welding hood.
Keep a Clean Workstation
Finally, keeping a tidy workstation can drastically lower the chance of injury when welding. You should always make sure to declutter your workstation after every session, so that the welding area is only occupied by tools and equipment that you need at the moment. Welders should also be careful to properly label equipment on a welding workstation, so that everything can be found at a moment’s notice when necessary. A welding table should be set to the optimum height for the job, to reduce the risk of accidental injury or damage.
Conclusion
With these simple safety tips, a welder can dramatically reduce the chance of injury when doing welding work. As always, welding requires specialized training, and work should be left to trained professionals to complete at home. Any welding work, however, should be done under the observance of proper safety guidelines and rules. This can help ensure the work is done safely and efficiently for all parties involved. To learn more about how our team of welding professionals can help meet your welding needs, please do not hesitate to contact us today.
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